Most households - and just about all poor households - were better off as a result, whereas richer households bore most of the costs, according to Prof Frank Jotzo from the Australian National University in Canberra.

Why are green taxes on the rise?

Pollution imposes costs on society, and most governments accept that people and businesses should pay for the pollution they cause.

With climate change, for instance, carbon emissions are likely to damage crops; increase health care costs from heatwaves; and droughts; make flooding worse; inundate homes from sea level rise - and much more.

Together they cover about 13% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, and are, according to the Bank, the cheapest way for nations to cut emissions because they allow businesses to choose when and how to invest in clean technology.

So are green economists cursing Mr Macron?

Environmental economists will be appalled that the Macron policies have made carbon taxes more politically toxic just as governments need good solutions to climate change.

World-leading research into the social impacts of green taxes has been done at University College London by Prof Paul Ekins.

He says governments must think hard about protecting the poor before they introduce taxes.

Even then, he says, ministers may have to devise special measures to support small groups of households faced with higher bills because - say - they have a sick family member who needs to be kept very warm.

Do people support green taxes?

There’s one final problem… green taxes are complicated and can be hard to communicate.

In Australia, for instance, the coal industry has a very loud voice in public debate. And it supported the claim of the right-wing politician Tony Abbott that the carbon tax was: “A big fat tax on everything”.